As if two victories against Anderson Silva weren't enough, Chris Weidman sealed his status as a legitimate UFC champion with a unanimous-decision victory (49-45, 48-47, 49-46) over LyotoMachida at UFC 175 in Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday.

The fact that Weidman had to "prove himself" at all in his second title defense was always a silly notion. The ending of his second bout with Silva may have ended on an unlikely injury, but he more than held his own before the finish and scored an emphatic knockout victory in their first encounter.

Now, the champion can add a former light heavyweight champion to his list of dispatched opponents. No, it wasn't easy. Beating a former champion is never an easy task. Weidman lost at least one round on each judge's scorecard, per Matt Erickson of MMA Junkie:

What stood out in Weidman's title defense was not just that he won, but that he did so by turning in a performance that had a little bit of everything. Given the origin of Weidman's "All-American" moniker as a collegiate wrestler, the assumption is that he might be a one-trick pony.

As it turns out, that assumption couldn't be further from the truth.

By the first round it was clear wrestling isn't Weidman's only strong suit. With Machida looking to keep the fight standing, Weidman was willing to oblige for the entire opening frame. He chose to make an impact with kicks to the legs and body, as noted by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:

Of course that doesn't mean Weidman didn't showcase the wrestling. After all, you have to dance with the girl who brought you, and the champion isn't going to abandon what comes natural to him.

Machida possesses some of the best takedown defense in the sport but still couldn't stop Weidman from taking the fight where he wanted it. He took The Dragon down five times in the fight and did some of his best damage once he pinned his opponent to the ground.

John Locher/Associated Press

But most of all, Weidman proved that he has the heart of a champion. Regardless of how good a champion is, there will come a time during his/her title reign when challenges will present themselves.

After very little resistance from Silva in Weidman's first two title fights, adversity came in the form of a Machida left hand that landed flush in the fourth round. Coming from a dangerous fighter like Machida, it turned the fight on its head and put into doubt whether Weidman could survive another round-and-a-half.

Once again, Weidman proved that he was capable of carrying the title of champion by rallying to take the fifth round on one score card and getting his hand raised.

What makes the performance even more impressive is the fact that Weidman might not have even been at the height of his powers. According to MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani, the champion faced more than one health concern in training for this fight:

Weidman intv coming. Said it was worst camp of his life. Sprained ligament in hand, couldn't punch last 2 weeks and banged up knees.

Obviously small injuries are part of the sport, but a healthier Weidman could conceivably be even better next time out. Looking ahead, another former light heavyweight champion is looking to get the next crack at the 185-pound king: